NINCO Mosler Lightning ProRace Gravity Racing - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

Sunday May 23, 2010

The competition slot racer has yet another model coming their way. In the last couple of years models such as this have been popping up more and more and it appears many of you cannot get enough of them. Although very similar to previous versions, let us take a quick look and see if there is any surprises.

Although I am not a competition racer by any means I can still appreciate a nice running slot car. I will admit again that I am not much of a fan of models that sacrifice scale realism just for the sake of speed, but there are many among us that could care less about such things. That is fine as there is room in this hobby for us all. So if you are into models such as this, read on and see what NINCO has brought to the table.

First of all I think the body is well executed. I have always preferred this body mold over others out there and this livery might be near the top on the looks department. Perhaps only the early Gulf version (which was a standard model) has more visual appeal for me.

The interior is the lighter version as we expected. It works well enough for what this model is intended for.

Wheels and tires are standard size PRO parts. These wheels are very round and fix the axle very well. They are a durable wheel for the most part but some enthusiasts have reported a few that they have bent. I have done this myself so it can happen. I suppose that can be said of any wheel that is drilled or milled to make it "ultra-light". When you take material away from the hub center you do take the risk of weakening the wheel. Still, the reports of failure I have heard are VERY few and far between so most racers are happy with the product.

It appears these wheels have the SHORE 25 tires on them and I must say I like them. Nice and soft and they grip our surface very well. Of course you advanced racers have you own favorite tire blend.

Turning this hot rod over we see that this is the clear chassis like found on the "Lightened" version. I cannot say if this chassis is any better than the previous solid white version found on initial ProRace releases but it does appear to be flat and true which is a good start.

We also see the three metric flat head screws are used to mount the body to the chassis. Finally we do have a magnet in the mid-position. Although I do not race with magnets as much as I used to, I am actually glad to see it here. There are those that do enjoy magnet racing and having this option is a nice touch. And in truth I liked racing NINCO models with this magnet. It is not too much magnetic force and allows an easier recovery.

It is here we see another change. This model has the new NC-12 23,500 RPM, 190ma/270 g.cm "Crusher +" motor. Not much difference than the original Crusher and cannot figure out why we need yet another motor. I think NINCO should just pick a motor and stick with it. Advanced racers that run this car will most likely change the motor regardless so I think all the effort put into trying to make the "perfect" motor is a waste of time. Just make them compatible with previous versions and let the racer choose his or hers weapon of choice like they will anyway. The quick disconnect system is utilized here for just that purpose: a quick and easy motor swap.

One area that some racers have had an issue with is where the motor retaining screw is located. Some have broken the chassis at this area. The most common cause for this according to NINCO is over tightening this screw. Just tighten it enough to hold the motor securely. I will say that many like this feature as it keeps the motor from rocking in the mount.

The gearing here seems very smooth. We have an 11 tooth beveled brass pinion that turns the 32 tooth aluminum spur gear. We can also see the use of ball bearings as we did in the first version. I really like these bearings as they fit the axle cleanly. The one thing you nee to remember is that they need lubrication so keep your oil bottle handy at the track ok?

Box Stock Track Testing
MidMo International Speedway
4 x 16 - 3 Lane MDF Routed Wood - Flat Latex Surface
Copper Tape Conductivity - Aftermarket Power @ 12 Volts PARMA 25 OHM Control

You might expect this model to run very well out of the box and ours did just that. Without adding any weight or tire work it still posted 4.4 second lap times which is very good on our track. Although the motor is a little more than we need on our smaller layout it handled rather well. Great braking and acceleration really let you get after it in the corners. About the only thing I could change is perhaps the tires. Although they are soft enough and grip reasonably well, I might experiment with some other brands of tires to see if we can improve things.

The main thing here is that this model functioned like you would expect it to without any real work. Perhaps this is why this review is shorter than others. I really have nothing to do and I must say I like that from time to time. Of course with a higher price tag many will expect such a model. I will say for the record I have purchased models that cost more than this and they either ran horribly or a few times not at all.

With a retail price of $89.98 it might shy away a few but from what I have been seeing lately, these higher prices do not seem to matter much to the competitive racer. I have read in our forums where racers pay this much and even more in the all out quest for speed. And if you are the type to change everything on a stock model to better quality after-market parts, this price isn't really that unreasonable. In the end however this model is either worth it to you or it isn't. For my simple home racing I am happy with standard NINCO products but if you are into the club racing scene and want a more advanced slot car in 1/32nd scale, you certainly should take a close look at this offering.

- Harry

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at harry@homeracingworld.com, or better yet drop into our Message Forum and share your thoughts with other enthusiasts!

Thanks Go To MRC For Providing Us With This Sample!